Originally Posted by BengaliPagol
Bhais lets all set down on our couches and gear up for a ride because Ashton Agar is set to debut for Australia !!! I'm really excited for this young kid. Good luck to him.

I think Boof went with him over Lyon so there could be some batting depth in the team.

exciting to have such a young spinner doing so well, hopefully he prospers.

Not saying we should rely on them but i'm saying their contribution will be crucial to Australia's total. Before all this it is all down to Smith, Hughes and Haddin but i don't have any faith in Hughes or Haddin so i'm putting my faith on the tail. :L

Michael Clarke will probably retire from the game as a great batsman, but not a legend like Steve Waugh. The 4th innings was tailor made for him to step up and demonstrate his leadership, but as always he does let the team down. In contrast Steve Waugh retired as a legend because of his ability to step up for the team in difficult circumstances.

In so many countless occasions Waugh struck dogged, brave partnerships with the tail taking the team to victory. Thats what Australia needed. It hurts that it was 15 runs, wouldnt have mattered if it was a 50-60 run defeat.

Yeah with such a young inconsistent team it's clarkes job to see through the innings with the tail guiding the team. Don't like his attitude about the ashes not like making or breaking him as captain etc that's negative thinking, always think positive.

No offence to haddin, he is a good batsman but clarke is just better so if haddin did what he did then clarke could have done it and better.

Who is to blame? when your superstar players retire, to maintain status quo, you must replace your aging superstars with new superstars...after Adam Gilchrist, Warne retired only very few superstars remained on the team.

Originally Posted by Rifat
Who is to blame? when your superstar players retire, to maintain status quo, you must replace your aging superstars with new superstars...after Adam Gilchrist, Warne retired only very few superstars remained on the team.

That's when the senior players still there need to step up, take more responsibility and take over the mantle. Michael Clarke is the only 50+ average batsman atm, he's very experienced as well, not only that but he's the captain, needs to not just make lots of runs and play big innings but needs to make lots of runs and play big innings when it counts and when it's needed. Watson also needs to shoulder this responsibility as does rogers (even though he's inexperienced in tests he's mature and an extremely experienced FC player).

Originally Posted by Rifat
Who is to blame? when your superstar players retire, to maintain status quo, you must replace your aging superstars with new superstars...after Adam Gilchrist, Warne retired only very few superstars remained on the team.

One of their core problems. Many of their superstars retired around the same time leaving a huge vacuum to fill. Selectors were too stubborn to expose the youngsters alongside these big name players.

Indian selectors in contrast must be given credit. They have replaced one generation with another masterfully. Likes of Kohli, Raina, Rohit Sharma all got playing time with Dravid, Laxman, Tendulkar etc. And now they have brought in Murali Vijay, Pujara, Dhawan, Jadeja.

Rogers has shown good character and is likely to retain the opening position for some time. The no. 3 position remains a worry, with Cowan not performing. At some point they might have to consider Warner for that position, he's a dangerous batsman and can turn the course of the match. Unfortunately, he's also out of form and match practice.

On the plus side, they've found two good players in Rogers and Agar, and Phil Hughes have found some kind of a form. The middle order needs to step up though.

I've a hunch that this series is far from over yet.

__________________
You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there will always be someone who hates peaches.

According to Mickey "Michael Clarke described Shane Watson and his faction as "a cancer" on the national squad."

It's the job of a coach to unite the players, get them to play as a team. Any differences, factions, a coach must destroy, get everyone in the right direction. Mickey Arthur wasnt tough enough for the role.

Originally Posted by King13
Micheal Clarke culprit! does not like other's getting fame or name... e.g. early retirement of Micheal Hussey, Simon Katich and now Shane Watson.

yeah seems to be an issue there, problem is clarke is the only experienced campaigner that performs to a quality consistent standard and he therefore is not only unable to be dropped but he's really the only player currently in the team who warrants the captaincy. i'd put haddin up as a candidate but his position in the team isn't fixed. even if the main problem is clarke and not watson the fact is, in tests at least, watson is much much more replaceable than clarke so if push comes to shove and this rift really can't be resolved and has a major impact on the teams performance then dropping watson might have to be looked at.

if that was to happen it might seem harsh to drop someone not based on performance, but like i said he is replaceable, he's not performing to a standard where his position is fixed in the team anyway.